Safety device for water-gas apparatus.



W. M. KILBY & W. J. BURTLE. SAFETY DEVICE FOR WATER GAS APPARATUS.APPLICATION FILED 33.17, 1912.

1,065,254. Patented June 17, 1913.

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W. M. KILEY & W. J. BURTLE. SAFETY DEVICE FOR WATER GAS APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEBJY, 1912.

1,065,254. Patented June 17, 1913.

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WILLIAM M. KILEY AND WILLIAM J. BURTLE, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR WATER-GAS APPARATUS.

To (172 whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, iViLLIAM M. Kinny and lViLLIAM J. BUn'rLn,citizens of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the countyof Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Im-]')roveinents in Safety Devices for VVater- Gas Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention a safety device for water gas machines.

in the nranufacture of water gas, steam under a pressure ofapproximately thirty pounds is admitted to the generating chamber belowthe grate therein and passes up into the incandescent. body of fuel uponthe grate where it is decomposed. hen the supply of steam is cut off anair blast is admitted to the generating chamber below the grate bars.but this air blast has a pressure considerably less than the steampressure, it being ordinarily about eight pounds. Should the valvecontrolling the air blast be opened before the steam is cut off, thehigher pressure of the steam overcomes the pressure of the air, causingback pressure in the air supply pipe which is liable to result in anexplosion.

It is the object of our invention to provide means for preventing theair blast being opened before the steam supply is cut off and thisobject is accomplished by such a device as is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

The invention will be hereinafter fully described and consists incertain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part hereof:Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of so much of agenerating plant as is necessary to illustrate the application of ourinvention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the improved safetydevice on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly broken away,showing the safety device in engagement with the stem of the air blastvalve.

The gas plant comprises a generating chamber 1 having grate bars 2therein and a man hole or feed opening 3 at its upper end. The upperportion of the generating chamber communicates through a conduit 4 withthe carbureting chamber 5 from which the outlet pipe 6 leads to asuperheater or other mechanism. The steam supply pipe 7 equipped with acut-off valve 8 leads from Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 17, 1912.

Patented June 1'7, 1913.

Serial No. 678,197.

steam boiler to the bottom of the generating chamber and enters the samebelow the grate bars, its extremity being equipped with a blast nozzle 9whereby the steam will be directed upwardly to and through the gratetopass through the fuel. The air supply pipe 10 enters the generatingchamber below the grate 2 and is equipped with a cut-off valve indicatedat 11, whereby the passage of air into the generating chamber may becontrolled. The air supply pipe passes through or around the carbureterto an ordinary fan or blower (not shown) and a branch 12 leads from thesaid pipe 10 to the tank 13 in which the air may mingle with thehydrocarbon supplied through a pipe lat, the mingled air and hydrocarbonissuing from a jet. 15 at the top of the carbureter in a fine spray tomingle with the gas issuing from the conduit 4 whereby the gas will becarhureted before passing through the outlet 6 to the superheater-s,driers or other mechanism. The branch 12 is equipped with a cut-offvalve indicated at 16.

The generator, the carbureter, and the other parts, thus far described,may be of any preferred construction and their operation is well knownto workers in the art. No attempt is made herein to disclose the detailsof the construction and operation of these element-s as they form nopart of our invention and are shown only in a diagrammatic manner andmerely in order that the particular application of our invention may beeasily and fully understood.

The stems of the valves 11 and 16 rise through casings or other supportsindicated at 17 and 18, and in the illustrated forms the valve 11 isoperated by a wheel 19 and a pinion 20 on the shaft of said wheelmeshing with a rack bar 21 formed on the upper end of the valve stem. Inone edge or side of the rack bar 21 we form socket or recess 22 which isadapted to be engaged by the end of a locking bar 23 which is extendedinto a cylinder 23and constitutes a piston rod on the inner end of whichis secured a aiston 2-l. The cylinder 23 is provided with lateral lugs25 through which securing bolts are passed into a shelf or bracket 26which is bolted to the casing or guiding support of the valve stem asclearly shown, whereby the cylinder will be supported in properoperative position. The end of the cylinder distant from the valve stemhas its bore enlarged for a short distance to provide a shoulder or stop27 whereby the inward movement. of the piston. will be limited. A spring28 is coiled around the piston rod 23 between the piston and the end ofthe cylinder and tends normally to hold the piston away from the stop orshoulder 27.

fhe piston is secured firmly upon the piston red by a clamping nut 29,as will be readily understood, and a split packing ring 30 is seated inan annular groove in the periphery of the piston to form packing betweenthe piston and the cylinder so as to prevent leakage of steam withoutinterfering with the movement of the piston. A stuiiing boX 31 isprovided on the closed end of the cylinder around the piston rod orlooking bar so that leakage of steam at this point will be prevented. A.plug or cap 32 is fitted in the open end of the cylinder and a hollowstem 33 projects outwardly from the said plug or cap and is coupled tothe steam pipe 34 by a union 35, as shown and as will be readilyunderstood.

The safety device applied to the stem of the valve 1.6 is the same asthat just described and engages the valve stem in the same manner, theonly dilierence being that the stem is operated by a hand lever 36instead of a rack and pinion.

The operation of the device will, it is thought, be readily understood.

lVhen the plant is making gas, the steam supplied through the pipe 7will also fill the pipe 34: and consequently act upon the piston 24 soas to hold the same against the shoulder 27 thereby compressing thespring 28 and throwing the piston rod or locking bar 3 into engagementwith the socket 9.2 in. the valve stem and consequently holding thevalve in its closed position so that the air blast will be cut oil. Itwill consequently be impossible to open the air blast without firstdisengaging the locking bar from the valve stem and this can not beaccomplished without cutting off the supply of steam. W hen the steam isshut oft", the pressure on the piston 24 will be reduced so that thespring 28 will at once expand and withdraw the locking bar from itsengage ment with the valve stem to permit said stem to be raised and thevalve to be opened. When the valve is again lowered to cut ofli the airblast the socket 22 will be brought into alinement with the end of thelocking bar so that when the steam is again turned on the locking barwill be drawn into engagement with the socket and the air blast valveagain locked in its closed position.

Our improved device is obviously simple in its construction and thearrangement of its parts, and will efficiently perform the functions forwhich it is intended. It may be readily applied to any form of valvestem and may be secured in place without necessitating any rearrangementof any operat ing parts so that the cost of installation will be veryslight.

Having thus described our invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with a valvestem, of a locking bar, means tending to hold the said look ing barnormally out of engagement with the valve stem, and means acting inopposition thereto to hold the locking bar in engagement with the valvestem.

2. The combination with an air blast pipe, of a valve in the air blastpipe having a stem rising therefrom, a locking bar arranged to engagethe said stem, means for supplying steam pressure to said bar to hold itin engagement with the valve stem, and means for withdrawing the lockingbar from said engagement when the steam pressure is withdrawn.

3. The combination of a steam supply pipe. an air blast pipe, a cut-oilvalve in the air blast pipe, and means controlled by the steam pressureto prevent opening of said valve until the steam pressure is cut oil.

4:. The combination with a valve stem, of a locking bar arranged toengage the same, a piston on the said bar, means for supplying fluidpressure to said system, and a spring acting on said piston inopposition to the fluid pressure.

5. The combination with a valve stem support, of a bracket securedthereto, a cylinder secured upon said bracket, a valve stem risingthrough the said support a piston rod mounted within the cylinder andprojecting through the same to engage the valve stem, a piston on saidrod, means to supply fluid pressure to the piston, and. a spring coiledaround the rod between the piston and the end of the cylinder to act onthe piston in opposition to the fluid pressure.

6. A device for the purpose set forth comarising a cylinder having oneopen end with an enlarged bore at said end, a piston rod projectingthrough the closed end of the cylinder, a piston on the said rod playingwithin the enlarged portion of the cylinder, a plug closing the open endof the cylinder and adapted. to be coupled to a steam pipe, and a springcoiled. around the piston rod between the piston and the closed end ofthe cylinder.

In testimony whereof we altix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM M. inner. 1. S WILLIAM J. BURTLE. [Ls] l i itnesses NM. A.MULHERN, Annninn M. PAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe fiomiuissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

